3 Ways to Make Onboarding Contractors Easier
People are one of the greatest assets of any company. This is especially true for a service-based business. As a business owner, you should know that your employees want to be treated with respect and given opportunities to learn and grow.
Contractors are essential to business owners because they allow companies to operate without a large workforce. This saves organizations the time and money they would spend on hiring full-time employees.
Contractors are also important for small businesses that don't have enough work for a full-time employee or need more skilled labor than what their current staff can provide. They can also be useful for businesses that need short-term help with projects or to ease the workload stress from current employees.
In this article, we will discuss three ways to make onboarding contractors easier for business owners:
Having a good onboarding process
Software that can help
Communication is key
A Good Onboarding Process
As a business owner, you should know that onboarding is the first impression a contractor gets of your company. It should be seamless, easy and provide them with all the information they will need to complete any work you have for them.
A good onboarding process will:
Enhancing the image of your company in the eyes of your contractor relationships
Begin the process of ensuring that your contractors enjoy working for your organization and want to continue working with you
Protect your customer data
These are the results of a good onboarding process but let’s discuss how we can make that happen. Here are a few steps you can take to ensure the onboarding process achieves all of its goals:
Communicate clear expectations and job duties for each contractor
Ensure their skills and job duties align
Make sure there is a clear understanding regarding administrative items like benefits, availability, and pay
Consider a trial or probationary period if you are still determining whether this contractor is the right fit for your business.
The onboarding process is the foundation for the rest of your working relationships with the contractor. By taking into consideration these communication requirements, aligned job duties, and trial runs, you can set your business up for positive contractor relationships.
Enlist The Help of Applications
Onboarding can be a difficult process for new employees, so it's no surprise that it can be hard for contractors too. So, to help them with this transition, employers should ensure they are providing the right resources and information.
One of the best ways to simplify onboarding contractors is to incorporate software to help automate the process. This can help eliminate the confusion and sometimes overwhelming feelings contractors have of stepping into a completely new environment.
Software applications that are built for onboarding can assist in creating clear expectations and tasks needed to complete before the work can begin.
Here are some software ideas to help:
Utilize e-signature tools that help to collect documents quickly
Collect W-9’s from the beginning to avoid delays come January when they are due
Utilizing security applications like Lastpass to securely share passwords
Use project management software like ClickUp or Jetpack to help automate the workflow process
Enlist the help of Gusto’s onboarding and HR features that ensure you will always be in compliance
The most important thing to consider when hiring contractors is creating a process that provides them the opportunity for success. If from the beginning they feel lost, confused, and like the business itself needs organization, it can quickly become a breeding ground for negativity. Before deciding on any contractor, ensure your onboarding process is well established.
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Communication is crucial
Communication is going to be one of the most important aspect of onboarding contractors. Oftentimes business owners may refer to channels like email, texting, or Slack, which can certainly be useful at times!
However, do not underestimate the efficiency of a great project management system like ClickUp, Asana, or Trello. By using one of these applications you can ensure tasks are being completed on time and in the order of priority. These applications have several features that help eliminate unnecessary questions like:
When is this project due?
Who is this project assigned to?
Does this client have any open items that need to be addressed?
A central location for task management can give your contractors a home base to work out of with clear communication.
Many businesses are in the process of looking for new great talent. If that sounds like you, onboarding is a process you will want to put some care into as you build your business. Onboarding may seem like a simple process for a business owner who knows their business well but it can be overwhelming for a new set of hands.
If you are interested in learning more about how to establish a clear onboarding process that meets all necessary accounting requirements, consider scheduling a consultation with us by visiting the link below.
